(Boy)Friends Don't Lie
by WriterAtHeart14
Summary: Mike and El have faced so much during their time of knowing each other: inter-dimensional demons, bullies and evil government agents are just to name a few. It made their bond stronger. But when Mike starts acting strangely, and El can't seem to get him to open up, she becomes determined to get to the bottom of her boyfriend's troubles. Rated T for slight swearing. Oneshot!


**A/N- I DO NOT OWN STRANGER THINGS! **

**Hey guys!**

**So I've been working on this story for quite a while...and it's still pretty rough. It's a oneshot because I couldn't figure out how to turn it into a multi-chapter story but if nothing else, I hope you enjoy it! **

* * *

Thunder rumbled ominously followed soon after by a flash of lightning, causing El Hopper to bury her face into her boyfriend Mike Wheeler's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay," he said, wrapping his arm around her. "We're safe here."

"I just hate storms. It reminds me of that night—"

"I know," he said, already knowing what she was referring to. The pair had been through a lot in their four years of knowing each other. Everything from first dances to closing inter-dimensional portals and fighting off demon like creatures, they'd done it all. In retrospect, however it only seemed to strengthen their bond, and now, four years later, they were inseparable. "I remember it too. But it was also the night we met."

She turned her head, still resting on his chest. "You brought me here to keep me safe."

"Just like right now," he reminded her. He planted a kiss in her light brown, shoulder length hair.

Thunder crashed again, causing El to jump, hiding her face again. The lights flickered momentarily before shutting off. "That wasn't you, was it?" Mike asked into the darkness. He was referring to her telekinetic powers, which sometimes could go slightly haywire when El got emotional.

"No," came El's response, her voice sounding fearful.

"Michael! Jane! Are you okay down there?" Mrs. Wheeler's voice called from across the basement. Mrs. Wheeler was one of the few people who actually called her by her legal name. Besides teachers, and kids at school, most people called her El.

"We're fine, Mom!" Mike called back to her.

"I think the power is out on this whole side of town!" She said. "I'm sure Chief Hopper has his hands full tonight." After a pause she added, "Well, as long as you're okay down there. There should be some flashlights under the sink in the bathroom down there."

"Thanks, Mom!" Mike turned to his girlfriend as lightning flashed through the windows, momentarily lighting up the basement.

Eleven looked terrified, and his heart broke. "Mike…" she practically whimpered.

"Hey, it's okay. I know where my mom keeps some candles, and I'll get those and we can just stay here until the power comes back on, okay? I'll be right back." He gently got up from the couch, not-so-gracefully made his way to the bathroom for the flashlight and retrieved the candles and matches. He set them up on the shelves around the couch and even pulled the old table they used to play D&D on towards them so he could put a few on that. Once he finished doing that, he sat back down on the couch and El immediately clung to his side.

"I know this seems ridiculous, but I just can't shake this feeling," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"It's not ridiculous, El, it's a valid fear. Plus, I love comforting you." He put his arm protectively around her again. "It's all gonna be okay."

Another rumble of thunder made her bury her head into his chest, tightening her grip on him.

"Did Hopper ever tell you about the angels bowling in heaven?" Mike asked, beginning to rub her back.

"Angels in heaven? I don't think so. He's not very religious."

He laughed. "You don't have to be. Storms are just what happens when the angels up in heaven are bowling. The thunder is from when they get strikes. The lightning is them celebrating."

"I've never heard of that before," she said, leaning her head against his chest.

"Mom used to tell me and Nancy that. It's probably what she's told Holly tonight too."

"It doesn't sound so bad when you put it that way."

"Exactly. It's not so scary at all."

A comfortable silence fell over them in the dimly lit basement as Mike took in his surroundings. The basement hadn't changed much over the years, if at all. All of his old toys and games were still displayed on the shelves or tucked away in different cabinets. This had been he and his friends' escape from the adults for as long as he could remember. Countless nights of D&D campaigns, games going on for hours on end, every sleepover they had, El even slept down her for the first few nights after they found her in the woods. Lately he'd bring Holly down to play house or with her dolls, anything to keep her away from their parents when they argued, which was becoming more common lately.

"Hey," El's quiet voice interrupted his thoughts. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head. "Just that it's funny how everything works out."

"What do you mean?"

"If you had asked me four years ago about what I thought I'd be doing at sixteen, having a girlfriend is not what I would've said."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She joked, sitting up to look at him, an amused smile on her face. "You don't want me as your girlfriend?"

"No, you dork," Mike laughed. "I mean I never would've imagined a girl like you would want me as your boyfriend."

"Don't talk like that. You're the only one I'd want as my boyfriend." She leaned in to kiss him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

His hands found their way to her lower back, holding her close to him, as she deepened the kiss. Although neither of them were necessarily experienced when it came to relationships, Mike had a little bit more background knowledge on what they were expected to do when in a relationship. However, this didn't stop El from initiating anything, and Mike never minded. He would do anything she was comfortable with.

After a while, Mike pulled away slightly. "El?" He asked in between kisses.

"Hmm?"

"I'm glad you're my girlfriend."

Even in the dim light, Mike could see a smile spread across her face. It was in that moment that he wished he could stay there forever. Looking at El, and how happy she was, the way her eyes light up when she smiles. He just couldn't believe how well everything was turning out.

…

"Don't even start with me right now, Ted! Our children and our son's girlfriend are sleeping in this house!"

"I'm not starting anything, I'm just defending myself!"

Mike jerked awake. He was lying on the couch in the basement, with El lying partially on top of him still asleep, with a blanket draped over them both. _We must've fallen asleep while talking, _he thought, as he turned his head to see what was left of the candles still burning around them. He strained to listen into the darkness of the basement.

"That's just like you! You never do anything!" He could hear his mother yelling. "Have you even talked to Michael since he's been home today?"

Mike gently lifted El so that he could get off the couch without waking her up and quietly jogged up the basement stairs. He poked his head out of the basement door. The lights were all still off—whether it was because of the power outage or if his parents were trying to give off the illusion that they were asleep, Mike didn't know—and he figured his parents were in the living room arguing. He slipped out of the basement door and tiptoed over to the stairs and made his way to the second floor. _Please don't let Holly be awake… _

He walked over to his little sister's bedroom door and quietly opened it. He poked his head in the room to see her fast asleep surrounded by her stuffed animals. He quickly closed the door, feeling his heart pounding in his chest.

Lately his parents had been up late arguing almost every night. He knew their marriage wasn't the best, but until they decided whether they would try and fix it or get a divorce, he figured the least he could do was keep Holly oblivious to her parents' deteriorating marriage.

He quickly but quietly ran back down the stairs and down to the basement before El noticed he was gone. Het got back downstairs, and was able to replace himself as El's pillow without her making a sound. Just as he pulled the blanket back over the both of them he heard:

"Where did you go?" El's voice came out sleepily as she rested her head on his chest.

"Nowhere, just to the bathroom," he whispered to her. "Go back to sleep."

"Mike," she began, and he could hear her becoming more awake. "There's a bathroom right over there. I heard you come down the stairs."

"I just wanted to check on Holly," he told her, which wasn't a complete lie. "Sometimes she can't sleep during storms."

"Is she okay?" He loved that despite her own fear, and even being half asleep, El was still concerned for his little sister's well being.

He put his arm around her. "She's fine, fast asleep."

"Are you okay?"

Mike prided himself on the fact that he knew Eleven extremely well, probably better than anyone. Despite that, it still surprised him at just how well she knew him, and how she knew just when to ask questions. "I'm fine," he whispered.

"You hesitated," she said softly, picking her head up so they were quite literally face to face. He could see her hazel eyes wide open now, looking at him intently.

"I'm okay, El, I promise. Now that I know Holly's okay, I'm fine."

She didn't respond, watching him quietly as she reached up and gently brushed his hair away from his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Mike asked, as she pulled her hand away.

"Well I wasn't when I realized my pillow was gone."

He couldn't help but grin at her cheesy joke. "Is that all I am to you? A pillow?"

"Of course not," she whispered, as they repositioned themselves so that they could both be more comfortable. "You're pretty good at being a blanket too."

* * *

"I just wish you would be a little more mature about this!"

"Who's being immature? I haven't even done anything, Karen!"

"That's the problem, Ted! You never do anything except watch television in that God forsaken La-Z-Boy! Maybe you should try getting up, doing some yard work, fix up the house, engage one of your three children! Have you even called Nancy to ask how school is going?!"

"You don't understand the kind of work I do when I'm out! You never appreciate the money I bring home! God forbid I allow myself to rest when I'm finally home!"

Mike's parents' voices drifted up the staircase from the living room. It had slowly become a weekly occurrence for him to sit at the top of the stairs after his parents thought he and Holly were asleep and listen to them argue with each other over the sounds of Ted's TV. He usually tried to keep watch for a while, in order to make sure Holly didn't wake up.

Listening to his parents made him think about his own relationship with El. He could never imagine shouting at her the way his parents did to each other. Not that they'd ever really disagreed about anything, but regardless he would never dream of getting mad at her—and that had nothing to do with the fact that Mike was terrified of her adoptive father who just so happened to be the Hawkins Chief of Police. He couldn't explain how he felt about El, only that he'd absolutely never felt this way about anyone before and he never thought he'd ever feel this way about anyone, until he met her. As he sat crouched at the top of the stairs, listening to his parents argument become louder once more, he promised himself right then and there that he would never let his relationship with El turn out like his parents'.

"Mike? Mike, are you there?"

He perked up immediately, and stood up from his position at the top of the stairs. He quickly made his way into his room and quietly shut the door behind him, as to not wake Holly sleeping down the hall.

"Mike?" It was El's voice coming through his super-com.

"El?" He picked it up. "Are you okay?"

"I was just about to ask you that," she said. "I had a feeling I should check on you."

A smile spread across his face at his girlfriend's timing. "I'm fine. I was just up late reading, that's all."

"Try not to stay up too late. We do have school tomorrow," she reminded him.

"Yes, Mom," he joked, as he looked out the window. Even in the darkness, he could see how fast the clouds were moving, and the wind blowing all of the trees outside. "You should get some sleep too. It's supposed to storm almost every night this week."

"I wish you were here."

Even though Mike constantly tried to be a bit tougher in order to shed his nerdy reputation, the only person who could absolutely make him melt was El. His friends teased him about it all the time, and he always pretended to be annoyed but he couldn't deny it. He wasn't necessarily ashamed of it either. He would do anything for El, and he didn't care who knew it. "I know. Is Hopper home?"

"Not yet. He radioed that he'd be home soon though." He could hear in her voice that she was a little nervous, and if it wasn't such a far ride, he would bike right over to her house in a second.

"I'll stay on with you until he gets home, okay?"

"Promise?"

"I promise."

…

"Mike? Mike! Earth to Mike!"

He was startled awake, eyes widening as he took in his surroundings. He was in the cafeteria at Hawkins High School, sitting at lunch with his friends. They were all looking at him strangely, including El, sitting to his left who looked concerned more than anything else. "What?" he asked, looking around at them. He tried rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, but it only put spots in his vision.

"Are you okay, dude?" It was Will, who was sitting to his right.

"Yeah, yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Considering you just fell asleep at the lunch table, I think we're allowed to ask," Lucas said from his spot directly across from him. "Have you been staying up reading comic books again?"

Mike had to think this through carefully. He hated to lie to his friends, but he also didn't really want to announce to all of them that he'd been staying up making sure his parents didn't wake his little sister every night due to their constant arguing. It wasn't exactly a good lunchtime conversation. Even after Hopper had come home and El went to sleep, Mike stayed up to listen to his parents' arguing, every so often checking in on Holly. "Yeah…" He added a sheepish grin to make the lie more believable. "I guess I'd gotten a little carried away."

"Yeah, well don't let it happen again," Max snapped, although he could hear the sarcasm in her voice. Lucas grinned, wrapping his arm around her. They had been together since they were fourteen, waiting a little bit longer than Mike and El had. Although Mike and El hadn't been necessarily welcoming when Max originally joined the Party, over time they'd gotten to know her better, and they all became really good friends.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Mike waved her off, rubbing his eyes again. He still felt really tired, but he was trying not to let it show.

"Oh! That reminds me, did I tell you guys what I read the other day..." Dustin dove into details about an article that he'd read that pertained to D&D, but Mike tuned him out again. He was thankful that Dustin turned the subject off himself, but he knew that lying to his friends wouldn't end well. But at the same time, he didn't have the heart to tell them the truth.

He tried to tune back into whatever Dustin was saying. Had he gotten a proper night's sleep, he probably would have been more than interested to listen to what he had to say. But today, he suddenly couldn't focus at all. He took a quick glance around at his friends, all slightly leaning forward, listening intently to Dustin's explanations. The reverie was broken when the bell rang, signaling that lunch was over. They all scrambled to get up from their table and make their way towards the doors.

Mike managed to make it to his locker to get his books for his next class, when El appeared next to him.

"Hey," she said, leaning against the locker next to his own. "Are you okay?" He could feel her eyes trying to connect with his own.

Mike continued to sort through his books, refusing to meet her gaze. "Just tired, El."

She clearly didn't believe him as she stood up from the lockers. "Mike..."

"Hey Mike! Mike, let's go, we're gonna be late!" Dustin shouted down the hallway from where he, Lucas and Will were standing.

"Coming!" He called back to them. "I'll see you later, El." He leaned in quickly and kissed her cheek, slammed his locker shut and turned to walk away.

"Mike," she said again, this time more firmly, taking hold of his arm. He turned back to face her, finally meeting her gaze, seeing her brown eyes searching his own. "Are you sure that's all?"

"We'll talk later," he said, pulling free of her grip and jogging to catch up with their friends.

Max came up behind El, standing next to her as they both watched the boys walk in the opposite direction down the hallway, already laughing and joking with each other. "Is Mike okay?"

"I'm not sure," El confessed, not taking her eyes off her boyfriend. "I don't know why he won't talk to me."

"I'm sure if it were really important he'd tell you," Max reassured her. "It's Mike, he'd do anything for you."

The comment made El smile weakly. She was really lucky when it came to Mike. He'd never been anything short of perfect in her eyes. They had always been able to tell each other anything. They always wanted to tell each other everything. She just couldn't figure out why he'd be keeping anything from her.

* * *

Later on that day, when the final bell rang, Mike quickly made his way to his locker so that he could try to make it out of the building before he ran into El. He hated avoiding her. In fact, he wanted more than anything to just tell her what was going on, because he knew out of all people she could make him feel better. He pulled his backpack onto his shoulder and slammed his locker shut only to reveal Troy and his friends surrounding him. _Shit, not today_, he thought.

"Hey frog face." Troy gave him a mocking smile.

"Seriously Troy, it's been four years and you still can't think of a better insult?"

The smirk on Troy's face disappeared. "What did you say, Wheeler?"

"I said your insults are as shitty as your personality," Mike snapped.

Troy grabbed him by his shirt collar and slammed him into the lockers. "Do you wanna say that again, frog face?" Out of the corner of his eye he could see kids gathering around them, and could even see Dustin, Lucas and Will pushing their way through the crowd. He knew they would try and stop them, but he suddenly did not care.

"Come on Troy, just let him go!" Dustin shouted, as he made his way to the front of the crowd.

"Jesus Troy, I didn't know you were deaf on top of being ugly." The next thing Mike knew, he was on the ground and he could barely open his left eye. _Another thing for Mom and Dad to argue about, _he thought immediately.

"Mike are you okay?" Will asked, as Lucas and Dustin helped him stand up. Troy and his goons were nowhere to be found, and the crowd of kids that had formed around them seemed to disband.

"What do you mean is he okay?! Look at him!" Dustin practically shouted, as Mike felt a headache begin to form.

"He really got you this time," Lucas agreed, as the three of them examined Mike's eye.

"It's nothing he hasn't done before," Mike said, grimacing at how much it actually hurt. It was true, it wasn't anything he hadn't experienced before, but it certainly didn't help his already screwy day. "Look guys, I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Are you sure you can bike home like that?" Will asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll see you guys later." Without waiting for his friends to protest anymore, Mike turned and jogged out of the building and over to the bike rack. Biking home was only slightly more difficult than usual, but he managed to make it to his house in one piece. He put his bike in the garage and then quietly snuck into the house and up the stairs before his mom or Holly saw him and started asking questions. He managed to shut his door and collapse on his bed before he let the exhaustion finally overtake him.

…

"Hey guys, have you seen Mike since lunch?" El asked, as she and Max met up with Lucas, Dustin and Will in the hallway.

"Yeah, he just left with a huge black eye," Dustin said.

El and Max's eyes widened. "A black eye?" El asked incredulously, a look of worry etched in her features. "What happened?"

"It was Troy and his goons," Lucas explained. "I don't know what either of them did to each other, but all we saw was Mike getting punched and then he was on the ground."

"Well what happened? Where did he go?" Max asked. Even she looked worried, but the boys didn't seem fazed at all.

"We helped him up and he left to go home," Dustin said shrugging.

"You guys just let him go home alone?! What the hell?!" Max snapped, looking at the three of them. "What kind of best friends are you?"

This launched the boys each into a ramble defending themselves to Max, who nodded at each of them mockingly, barely listening to any of their explanations.

"Guys! GUYS! You said he was going home?" El asked over their arguing.

"Yeah, it sounded like he was headed home," Will responded.

"I think I'm gonna go check on him," she said, walking past them towards the exit.

"El, wait up! We'll give you a ride!" Lucas said, as they all ran to catch up with her. Despite being sixteen years old, they all still rode bikes to school, which wasn't entirely uncommon. They were all learning how to drive actual cars, but it was cheaper and easier to bike around anyway. It's not like Hawkins was a huge town regardless, so none of them minded. The boys biked with her over to Mike's house, but she convinced them to let her go in alone. They all said goodbye and she walked up to the front door to knock.

The door opened and Mrs. Wheeler smiled at her. "Oh Jane! How nice to see you! I didn't know you were coming by today."

"Hi Mrs. Wheeler! Yeah, Mike left one of his textbooks at school so I thought I'd bring it to him," she explained.

"That's so thoughtful of you! You can come on inside. I think he's upstairs, but I haven't heard a sound out of him all evening. He must be busy studying." Mrs. Wheeler opened the door wider and stepped aside so that El could come in.

"Thank you, Mrs. Wheeler," El said as she ran up the stairs. She walked over to Mike's door and knocked, but didn't hear anything from the other side. She cautiously opened the door and stepped inside. "Mike?" She walked over to his bed, where he was laying face down, fast asleep. "Mike?" She gently shook his shoulder. She hated to wake him up, but she needed to talk to him. "Mike, wake up."

He groaned quietly, but turned his head to face her and opened his eyes. From what she could see of his face, he looked fine. But she wasn't gonna let him off the hook that easily. "El?"

"Hey you," she said softly. "What happened to you today?"

He sighed, rubbing the eye that wasn't covered by his pillow. "I was just really tired after school. Needed a nap."

El raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh yeah? Is that all?"

"Mmhm," he mumbled, closing his eyes again.

"Mike, is that one of your rare comics on the floor over there?" she asked, pointing to the other side of his bed.

He sat up quickly, turning to look where she pointed. "What? Where?"

"Geeze, you're such a nerd," she joked. "Nice black eye."

He cringed, as he slowly turned back to face her, realizing he'd been caught. "Thanks," he joked back. "I think it really ties together my whole nerdy look."

"Mike..." She took his face in her hands, examining his black eye. It was swollen, and slightly irritated, most likely from him laying on it. "Why did I have to find out about this from our friends?"

He shrugged wordlessly.

"What's going on with you? You've been acting off all day. For the past few days, actually."

"El, I told you. I've just been really tired. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

"Does your lack of sleep explain how you walked into Troy's fist today, too?"

Mike shook his head. "He came up to me at my locker and he started acting like an asshole and I wasn't in the mood for it today."

But El knew him better than that. "No one is ever in the mood for Troy, but you usually don't engage him. Why today?"

"I really don't know. Maybe it's because of how tired I was. But either way, it happened, and there's nothing that can fix it."

Normally the sharpness in his voice would've thrown her off, but she refused to be put off today. She was determined to get to the bottom of his strange behavior. "You need to put some ice on it," she said, giving him a look.

He shook his head again. "No, I'll be fine."

"I don't think so. Your eye looks awful."

He covered his face with his hands. "El, please..."

"This isn't like you."

He moved his hands, looking away. "It's not—"

"Mike," she said, softening her voice again, taking his hand. "It's me. The guys aren't here to make fun of you, Max isn't here to listen, and your mom isn't here expecting a good answer. I just want to know what's bothering you. I know it's something, I just don't understand why you won't tell me what it is."

Mike still wouldn't meet her gaze.

"Look at me."

He obeyed, finally meeting her gaze and noticing how worried she looked for him. He felt awful. This was never his intention, but his plan seemed to backfire. "It's my parents...after they think Holly and I are asleep, they start arguing. Loudly. So I've been staying up late to make sure they don't wake her up."

Her heart broke for him. It was very much like him to put his sister first. He'd never admit it, but she knew that he cared for Holly and Nancy a lot more than he'd ever let on.

He continued, "I don't want her to hear her parents arguing like that. It's not fair." He was shaking his head again, not breaking eye contact. "It's just not fair."

"Mike..." El pulled him into a hug, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. "Why didn't you tell me any of this way going on? I could've been here. I would've helped you."

"I didn't know what else to do. Nancy doesn't even know yet because she's been away at school." He pulled away from her hug. "I was hoping to wait until she came home from school to figure out what else to do."

"This isn't on you to fix, you know that right? I know that you want to protect Holly, but it isn't up to you to fix your parents' marriage."

"I know, but I just can't sit back and do nothing. So I've been doing that instead. And I won't get ice because my mom doesn't know about the black eye. If she sees it, she'll freak out and it'll fuel her arguing with my dad."

"How long has this been going on?"

Mike looked down again. "A few weeks," he mumbled quietly.

"Why did you keep this from me?"

"I didn't want you to worry," he confessed. "I thought I could handle it myself. It wasn't so bad at first...but it started to get overwhelming lately."

"You don't have to do anything alone. You know that right? Me, and Max, and the boys. We're here for you. _I'm _here for you, okay?"

He nodded, finally looking at her again. "I know."

El stood up from his bed. "I will go and get you some ice. But what do I tell your mom?"

"Tell her that we need it for a science project."

She gave him a skeptical look. Although she knew that Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler weren't ones to ask a whole lot of questions, she also knew they weren't entirely clueless.

"They're more likely to believe you over me," Mike reasoned with her.

She shook her head, but turned towards the door anyway. She was able to get an ice pack from the kitchen without any questions from Mrs. Wheeler, and managed to sneak a towel from the upstairs bathroom to wrap it up in. She returned to Mike's room to find him still lying on his bed, flat on his back, staring at the ceiling. "What are you thinking about?" She asked as she handed him the ice pack, sitting next to him on the bed.

"How great you are," he answered without any hesitation. He took the ice pack and held it over his eye, wincing at the contact with his eye. He did have to admit however, that it did feel a little better.

El smiled weakly at him. Despite the fact that half his face was covered with an ice pack, she thought he was the most handsome person she'd ever seen. All she ever wanted was to keep him safe, from everything from the bad men to the bullies at school and even from this kind of heartbreak. He'd always been a source of safety for her, and she only wanted to do the same for him.

"But I think you should get home before it starts storming again tonight," he told her, sitting up. As much as it hurt him to quite literally push her away, he did want to make sure she got home safely before another round of storms came through the town, and he didn't want her to be stuck here if and when his parents decided tonight was another good night to stay up arguing.

Her eyes widened, suddenly filled with fear. "But I'll be all by myself again and the cabin is really creaky at night when it storms," she begged, grabbing his free hand. "Please, can I stay here with you?"

Mike couldn't help it, he practically melted as he looked at her. He knew that she wouldn't sleep at all if she was by herself, and if she did sleep it was highly possible that she'd have nightmares. Moreover, he didn't _want _her to be by herself, but there was still a part of him that thought it was for the better.

Before he could make his final decision, however, a rumble of thunder shook the house, causing El to tighten her grip on his hand. "Mike," she whimpered.

He immediately put the ice down on the bed and pulled her into his arms. "It's okay, it's okay," he said softly. He kissed her head. "You're gonna stay here with me. You're safe."

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"Why are you sorry?"

"I'm supposed to be taking care of you," she said. "Instead I feel so helpless."

"Eleven, you are anything but helpless. I know storms make you think back to the lab, and it's not fair that you had to go through that. But I promise, you are so powerful and strong—and that's not just because you have telekinetic powers that can snap Troy's arm," Mike joked, causing her to smile. "There's that smile." He moved so they were sitting against his headboard, and El rested her head against his chest.

"Put the ice back on," she said, picking it up for him.

He replaced it back to cover his eye, smirking. "Okay, okay."

* * *

The next few days seemed to drag by for Mike. Because of the storms, and Hopper having to do damage control, Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler allowed El to stay the nights with them. It was easier for Mike to relax with El there, but it didn't stop him from getting up every so often to check on Holly or to see if his parents had gone to bed yet. His mother had accepted the story that his black eye was just from an accident in gym class, and it had healed slowly but surely. Mike could tell that his friends noticed his seemingly constant sleepy nature, but as El no longer seemed too concerned, he figured that they assumed that she had talked to him and if he wanted them to know that he would tell them. Other than the long nights, life went on as normal for Mike.

Finally, Friday had come and the weatherman had predicted that the worst storm of the week was to hit that night. This time, Hopper was making it a point to stay home, as it was predicted to be so bad that it wasn't safe for anyone to be out during it. This made Eleven nervous. Not only was she not looking forward to waiting out this storm, she was definitely not looking forward to being without Mike and more importantly, she didn't want _him _to be alone. She practically clung to him all day due to the anxiety, and although he didn't exactly understand why, he kept a firm grip on her hand and would whisper calming words to her whenever they were together.

When the end of the school day came, El's anxiety was at an all time high. She didn't want Mike to leave her and she didn't want to leave Mike.

"It's okay," he soothed, taking the books she had been taken out of her locker out of her hands. He pulled her into a hug. "It's gonna be okay. You'll be safe at home with Hopper. I'll come see you tomorrow morning as soon as the storm lets up. We can talk on the super-com if you really need me."

She pulled back. "And you'll call me before you go to bed? And if you stay up?"

Mike nodded. "Yes, I will. I promise, El. Now let's get home before this storm comes in. I need you to be safe." They walked to the bike rack in front of the school, said their goodbyes to their friends, and Mike biked them to the Hopper cabin and dropped El off.

"Couldn't I just stay with you?" She asked, turning back on the second step up to the door.

"El, Hopper will be home soon, and he's gonna be with you all night. You know I'd love for you to stay with me. But I will see you first thing tomorrow morning."

El looked reluctant, and he could tell how nervous she was, but he knew that Hopper wouldn't stand for them to spend another night together if they didn't need to. "As soon as the storm lets up?" She clarified.

"I promise."

She ran back down the steps and over to him, taking him by surprise and pulling him into a kiss. When she pulled back, he kissed her forehead.

"Everything's going to be okay, El. I'll see you soon." He watched as she reluctantly went inside the cabin before he biked back to his house.

El watched from inside the cabin until she couldn't see Mike anymore. What she'd neglected to tell Mike was that she'd had a bad feeling about today. She didn't know what was going to happen, but she had a bad feeling in her chest. She hadn't had such a feeling since her days in the lab, and she didn't want to worry Mike unless she knew exactly what was going to happen. Instead, she simply clung to him. If she was with him the whole day, maybe she could protect him or stop whatever was supposed to happen.

The night passed agonizingly slow for Eleven. Hopper eventually did come home, they had a quiet dinner, and he took up his usual spot on the couch in front of the TV, while she hid in her room, pacing the floor, waiting for Mike to call her either on the phone or the super-com. As the hours began to multiply, she became extremely jumpy. So much so that when Hopper poked his head into her room, she was so startled that the light bulb in her bedside lamp blew out.

"What's up with you?" Hopper asked, opening the door wider. "You were quiet during dinner, and now your powers are going haywire."

"I'm just nervous…about the storm," she half lied.

"That's what I needed to talk to you about," he said. "Flo called and said that there's somebody down the road whose storm cellar doors are stuck. Since I'm the closest, I have to go help them."

Her eyes widened. "But—but you said you'd stay home with me. You said you'd be here. It's not safe out there!"

"Relax, kid. I'll just be down the road and when I'm done, I'll come right back, okay?"

"Do you promise?"

"Promise. I'll be right back." With that, he shut the door and she listened quietly as she heard him leave the cabin.

Her heart sank into her stomach, and she suddenly couldn't catch her breath. She was alone. Mike hadn't called. What if something was wrong? What if something happened to him on his way home? What if something happened to Hopper? What if she never saw either of them again? She could hear the wind howling outside of the cabin, which only made her fears heighten. Eleven cautiously opened the door to her bedroom and peeked out into the main room of the cabin.

Hopper had left the lights on, but turned the TV off. During her year of hiding in the cabin, she had found comfort in the sounds of the TV, but she knew that now it wouldn't even help.

A sudden banging from her room caused her to jump, and with a flick of her hand, her bedroom door slammed shut. Her breathing began to quicken, and she felt as though the walls of the already small cabin were slowly closing in on her.

Frantic knocking came from the front door, and without even thinking, she threw open the door to reveal her favorite person in the entire world, completely soaked from head to toe.

Mike's jacket, t-shirt and jeans clung to his body, his dark curly hair stuck to his face, and he was visibly shaking, but she couldn't tell if that was from the cold rain, or something else. She took in his face, and she could immediately tell by his red rimmed eyes and heavy breathing that something was wrong.

She pulled him into the cabin, quickly shutting and locking the door behind him. His mere presence made her anxiety melt away, and suddenly she was completely focused on getting to the bottom of what had made him make the treacherous trip here in such an awful storm. "Mike, what is it? What's wrong?"

He opened his mouth to respond, but instead only his heavy breaths came out, so he closed it, pressing his mouth into a thin line. It was almost as if it physically pained him to speak.

"It's okay. Let's just get you dried off okay?" She moved to stand behind him and peeled off his jacket, hanging it on a hook near the door, hoping that if nothing else it could drip dry. El ran into her bedroom, quickly digging out sweatpants and a t-shirt of Mike's that she had taken from his house before. "Here," she said, handing him the clothes. "Go change in my room and when you're done, we'll talk okay?"

He wordlessly accepted the clothes and walked into her bedroom, still dripping from the rain, and closed the door behind him.

She sat on the couch, hoping that Hopper's trip home would be delayed a little bit so that they could talk privately. She eyed the front door nervously, and then turned to face her bedroom door to wait for Mike to come back out.

When he did, his hair was still wet, and he had his soaked clothes still in hand.

She stood up quickly, taking the clothes from him and throwing them over the side of the bathtub. On her way back towards the couch, she took his hand and led him over to sit down. El pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and gently wrapped it around him, not breaking eye contact with him. "What happened, Mike?"

His eyes filled with tears as he looked at her, and she wished more than anything that she could figure out what was wrong without him saying it to her.

"Hey, hey, it's going to be okay. Whatever it is, it's going to be okay." She brushed the wet hair out of his face.

His breaths began to quicken again, as the tears spilled down his face.

El took his face in her hands, gently wiping his tears away with her thumbs, examining his face closely. "It's okay," she said, looking him in the eye. "You're going to be okay."

More tears spilled down his face as he finally managed to get the words out. "My parents..." He choked out. "They were fighting tonight, but it was bad." Mike swallowed back a sob. "And they..."

"Take a deep breath, okay?" El moved her hands to take his own. "It's okay. There's no rush."

He took a deep breath before he continued. "They were fighting...and they woke up Holly. So Holly was crying in my room, and I was trying to get her to calm down, but then my mom, she..." He looked down at their hands and watched as El rubbed her thumb over his hand, their own secret signal for comfort. "She kicked my dad out," he mumbled finally.

"And...besides the obvious, how do you feel about that?"

"Before they started fighting, they never really paid much attention to each other. Mom was always reading her book or on the phone in one room and Dad was always asleep in his recliner or watching TV. The only time I ever really saw them together was at dinner. So it's not like I'm...surprised. I just..." Mike trailed off, and she could see his eyes fill with tears again. "I didn't think it would actually happen. I didn't think it'd get so loud...and then I have to tell Nancy..."

"Hey, hey, hey," she said, lifting his chin so that he was looking at her. "You're not doing this by yourself. It's going to be okay, Mike. I promise. And remember, friends don't lie."

He smiled weakly at her. "Have I ever told you how perfect I think you are?"

El let go of his chin and leaned forward to kiss his forehead. "Funny, I was thinking the same thing."

"Oh yeah, I'm real perfect. I'm soaking wet, and I'm crying over my parents," he said, shaking his head.

"Having emotions doesn't mean you're any less perfect. Not in my eyes." She pulled the blanket tighter around him. "Promise me from now on, there won't be any secrets between us. No matter what."

"I promise."

* * *

**A/N-Sooooo as much as this definitely could've been pulled into a multi-chapter story, I just couldn't figure out how to stretch it into more than like 4 chapters, so instead I just made it one long chapter. So basically, as of right now it's just a stand alone one shot. And I have a few more ideas for oneshots too! (Can you tell I love Mileven and can't WAIT to see how their relationship fairs in the new season next month?) **

**Read and review! **

**~WriterAtHeart14~**


End file.
